Messaging service’s restrictions seek to slow the flow of misinformation

NEW DELHI—Facebook Inc.’s WhatsApp messaging service is making it harder for users world-wide to forward content, after the spread of rumors on the app led to mob violence and the killing of more than 20 people in India.

False messages about roaming child-kidnapping gangs spread through WhatsApp—one of the most widely used apps in India with over 200 million monthly active users—have triggered a spate of lynching as panicked groups attack strangers they find suspicious, Indian authorities have said.